1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a recording apparatus, and especially relates to a recording apparatus such as a phototypesetter, a typesetter, an image setter or the like which is capable of printing or recording data on both a sensitive material destined for the thermal development processing and a sensitive material destined for the chemical development processing.
2. Description of Related Art
In a recording apparatus of the type mentioned above, a film- or strip-like sensitive material is illuminated with a laser beam in a primary scanning direction while the sensitive material is being transported in a secondary scanning direction, whereby latent images are formed on the sensitive material. Subsequently, the sensitive material having the latent images formed thereon undergoes the development processing in an appropriate processor.
In this conjunction, the sensitive materials (which may also be referred to as "photosensitive materials") can generally be classified into a sensitive material which undergoes only the thermal processing for the development of the latent images (hereinafter this type sensitive material will also be referred to as "a sensitive material for thermal development processing") and a sensitive material which is destined to undergo the chemical processing for the development (hereinafter this type sensitive material will also be referred to as "a sensitive material for chemical development processing"). The chemical processing for the development of the sensitive material brings about the necessity for disposing waste liquid or fluid resulting from the development process, which requires lots of time and costs. However, the sensitive material for chemical development processing enjoys very wide use not only in the past but also at present. Similarly, the processor which is used for the sensitive material for chemical development processing has widespread popularity. An advantage brought about by the use of the sensitive material for chemical development processing is seen in that latent images can be formed on the sensitive material with relatively low power of the laser beam.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the development processing, the sensitive material for thermal development processing is preferred because the development processing is accompanied by no waste fluid or drainage. However, the number of processors used for the sensitive material for thermal development processing used at present is extremely small when compared with those for the sensitive material for chemical development processing. It is further noted that for forming the latent images on the sensitive material for thermal development processing, approximately one thousand times the laser power is required as compared to the sensitive material for chemical development processing.
When considering the troublesome process, the time and the costs involved in development processing, the use of only the sensitive material for thermal development processing is intrinsically preferred because of the high efficiency of the developing process. However, at present, the sensitive material for chemical development processing must be used as well when considering the situation mentioned above. There exists a demand for a recording apparatus which is compatible with both the sensitive material for thermal development processing and the sensitive material for chemical development processing, so that the apparatus thereby allows the sensitive material for thermal development processing to be used if possible, while being capable of utilizing the sensitive material for chemical development processing if not possible.
However, it should be mentioned that great difficulties are encountered in attempting to provide a single recording apparatus having the sensitive material for thermal development processing and the sensitive material for chemical development processing. A main reason for such difficulty is because hitherto in known or conventional sensitive material for thermal development processing required about one thousand times as high laser power as that for the sensitive material for chemical development processing. Thus, the recording apparatus destined for the sensitive material for thermal development processing has been implemented separately or discretely from the recording apparatus destined only for the sensitive material for chemical development processing. In other words, the demand for a dual-processing type recording apparatus has not been met.
Fortunately, there has been a recent development a sensitive material for thermal development processing which is susceptible to formation of latent images with a laser power of about ten times as high than the laser power required for the sensitive material for chemical development processing.